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The Smart Techie was renamed Siliconindia India Edition starting Feb 2012 to continue the nearly two decade track record of excellence of our US edition.

September - 2007 - issue > Cover Feature

India today and tomorrow: A reality check for young IT professionals

Rajesh Setty
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Rajesh Setty
People say that we have only scratched the surface of what’s possible in India’s IT sector. This may be true. The changes so far have been spectacular. Several Indian software companies have made their mark on the global map, and many more are eyeing to do the same.

What is being (conveniently) ignored is that a large majority of India’s knowledge workers have ‘stopped’ using their knowledge. They’ve put their minds and careers on auto-pilot.

Why? All large software projects need people who can perform intelligent but mechanical tasks. These people are well-paid and kept happy for their work. Don’t get me wrong. They are a very important part of the configuration, and they are required for this Information Technology boom to continue. However, people need to think about the future and not just today’s successes.

If you want to kill your career, you just have to engage yourself in ‘commodity’ work and be over-compensated. Think about it. Since it is ‘commodity’ work, you won’t need to use your brain. You’ll be happy with your pay check, and you will offer few complaints in the short-term. You will get stuck in a rut, but you probably won’t realize it until it is too late. Your lifestyle will have changed to fit your current compensation. Yet no other company will pay so much for your rote accomplishments and empty experiences.

Personal growth plans require investments for the future. If you are an IT professional, please try to answer these questions honestly for yourself. Then, determine if you need to make any changes in your life and career.


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